How Air Asia sucks (with its cunning plan)?

Unspun has written before about how Air Asia’s service sucks and how it really sucks on a bad day. This is a posting about how they try to suck your money.

They have recently redesigned their website so that it is now by default that you subscribe to Go Insure, Air Asia’s insurance cover for you against their delays and other accidents. The logic is that you insure yourself against their incompetencies for the privilege of flying with them.

Before you have to click a box to say you want to subscribe. But now it is inserted into your agenda on the left hand side of the website (see photo). You now have to click no thanks, get a message and then click “cancel” to cancel your automatic subscription to Go Insure.

Although the website does explain how you can unsubscribe to Go Insure, it strikes Unspun as a bit sneaky. All research on persuasion suggests that people will tend to opt for “defaults” Air Asia now makes sure that you have to work extra hard if you do not want to subscribe to the insurance cover they are trying to sell you.

A pity, because Air Asia garnered a lot of goodwill as the brand that brought cheap no-frills flight to Asia. It now looks like they’re trashing their brand equity with bad service, rescheduling of probably empty flights and stupid services like express boarding.

You could almost imagine some marketing consultant named Baldrick cozying up to Black Adder Tony Fernandez with: “I have a cunning plan…”

Like this:

Related

52 thoughts on “How Air Asia sucks (with its cunning plan)?”

know something else…. i have been flying airasis quite often… used to be they breakdown the charges… like admin, tax and flight…. since if you do not fly u can claim the tax back….. but now they do not do that one lump sum figure ….cannot compare with MAs if you wanted too… atleast MAS provides the breakdown for tax

AA is operating like a gangster triad, loan shark……..whatever u call it. pay first and then collect all monies into bank $$$$……..probability that u would have cancel your plan after 1 yr is 80% high….great plan of making more money. probably sold 5 tickets for a single seat and hoping 4 will forget there have ever bought or cancel plan.

no frills doesn’t mean no class…..no social responsibility…….don’t AA staff know the basic system of lining up or kids first or old folks first…….pathetic airline for kiasu people

Just being late for 7 minutes, AirAsia in Singapore would cancel your right to board their flight. Make things worse, have purchase over RM155 of excess baggage and they stand to forfeit that. They want you to purchase a new fare and new baggage fee of RM310 (being twice the amount of the excess baggage fee, since purchase less than 24hrs). That is how they make the profit. Through some misfortune of others. They stand to make extra airfare of $210 plus Rm310 or Rm510 plus the original $255 ringgit they already make. This is blood sucking prasite behavior.

Andy :: She’s a Malaysian, ignore her lame ass English. Even a person who is not perfectionist can see how shitty their English is.

Sarah :: The flight doesn’t become shitty because YOU are late, it obviously states you have to at least be there 45 minutes (Domestic) – 1 hour (International) earlier. You do have to pay for your own mistakes you dumb cunt.

After you get to the Bangkok airport at 4:30AM for a 7:15AM Air Asia flight, they inform you it has been cancelled. They give you a document stating, “Refund to Credit Card within 14 working days.”

They don’t return your money in 14 working days. The phone agents say you are wrong about the company’s promise. They say the policy is one month. They say they will “try” to make the refund within the next two weeks. My flight was on Oct 2nd. I still don’t have the refund.

None of it makes sense. We pay them within seconds of an online booking. They inconvenience the hell out of us by canceling the flight without notice, and then they play games with the refund.

This is to inform everyone that Air-asia go insure is really sucks. Last August 2007 my husband make a travel to philippine using air-asia. He book a flight to philippine with round trip ticket and also applied the GoInsure (which we think may help if anything happen). After coming back from vacation, in the airport in MIRI malaysia. He need to go out right away since the driver who will pick him up is already waiting outside the airport. He wait for so long in the baggage counter but his baggage was find out lost. He right away filed-up a complain. The officer in the airport promised him to look for his lost baggage and will call him. In the baggage is some important items that my husband bought from philippines and bring to Brunei worth 10,000.00+.
As we’ve known personal items we bought we usually don’t keep the receipt. To make the story short, we make a claim by filing up all the blah blah form and submit to GoIsure. Till now we don’t hear any news from them. We just got a promises, don’t just easily believe on those promises. I think its a lesson for all.
But what to do, i think in Air-asia web site you don’t have any choice but to buy the insurance… haiiii poor performance or is it already planned?

Sometime I also worried the air steward hair will fall into the food since the Airasia airsteward appearance really kinda like all they do not know how to tidy up their hair..haha
they look not beautiful nor elagant in anyway…kinda pity them.

I rather fly with MAS than Airasia….

PS: The sticky tag that they tag out luggage my father said like the GAM TIKUS that can be found around our house…since after I cut the tag off, the glue just wont go off….

My sister just now called me…She said she arrive one hour earlier to check-in, guess what the counter-girl said: CLOSED…

As I know from the itinerary:
– Our check-in counters are open two (2) hours before the scheduled flight
departure time. The counters close forty five (45) minutes before the scheduled
flight departure time

HELLO!!! My sister arrive one hour early….Now I pity my sister wasted thousand ringgit for the fucking counter that closed TOO early are they really in a rush too stuff their mouth at the canteen? They really love make people suffer…
The counter said their hand were tied. BULLSHIT….Please dear Airasia, just change your itinearary and state that CHECKIN 5 hours earlier to avoid counter close earlier suddenly…

Airasia sure are a loan-shark…..hmmm….I wonder why their company soooo successful….I still bet one day they will bankrup just like others foul company

FYI There is actually an Indian Baldrick-one of Tony Fs kuncu thats paid Rm24k a month who’s living it up in London and who’s only job is to dream up harebrain schemes on how to squeeze more $ from consumer and the understaffed airasia employees..yes its true.

p/s i agree with the go-insure scam.
i clicked pretty quick. hence, accidentally buying rm19…
something. it’s scam. esp, when we have to meticulously.. read.. and de-select/unclick a feature we wouldn’t want.

p/s irritating telemarketers of airasia called endlessly when i was at work, to promote even more useless insurance. irritating.

I GOT ALSO STORY ABOUT THE BEST SUCKER. THATS WE CALLED “Cyber loan-shark “.

This about 2 times miss flight on the same months. Reason only i late i hour to check in, that means the Air asia check in counter closed early 1 hour… really BULLSHITTT KAN.

1. my flight depart on 6.45am to K.K, but burn when i arrived at counter ticket about 5.05, january 2006 at LCCT. so juz bought MAS ticket. Atleast late, must got a bit solution like MAS… Right?.

2. also at Terminal 2, K.K. my flight depart on 8.20pm, and i arrived at terminal for check in about 7.oo pm…. nothing i cand do.. counter closed… I malas to ask the counter cause i know thier answer.

3. Air asia Customer service “GO INSURE….” so many time call me to promote thier insurance….. call and call like “loan-shark “. i felt seems like a lot of hutang keliling pinggang. so i try to listen thier explanition, then good, coz of benafit from thier insurance i decide to try. So the payment deduct from Credit Card….The customer service promise to give the insurance policy atleast 2 weeks….2 WEEKS MAN….!!!! Then until now i haven’t received any Policy Taik… that thier mention before… how long from July 2007 until Mac 2008. If got sudden happen then how to claim……………. then i assume thier bussiness as IT EXPERTISE… OR exactly we called “Cyber loan-shark “. How to do… i call the Credit Card incharge and report my card stolen…. hah2 puas hati… then i still waiting thier call me to listen my fire fucking…… then lastly… i rugi and lost a lot… coz pay for nothing.

Ais asia does suck. Their prices are hardly discounted. You can usually buy a ticket on a full service airline for the same price or just a little more. On the full service airline if you are late or need to adjust your ticket they are flexible or will charge you only a minor penalty. On Air Asia you forfeit everything. I’ve had it with Air Asia and will not deal with their delays and loan sharking like trying to keep all the money when you arrive late when Air Asia is only entitled yo keep the fare and they must refund all the taxes and other charges – which they don’t. they just hope you leave so they can keep the money.

u r all bastards with no life
tony fernandes is a gr8 guy he s done really well you should respect that and not judge
none of u no the pressure he has to deal with…
this is all i have to say u twats now think about ur lives and evry reason y ur lives are worthless…

yes is true~ actually we all the consumer can sue the company for that~ report to the business court on consumer have the right to accuse airasia intent to cheat consumer $$ without giving proper direction. using technology for criminal activities on cheating consumer. Penalty will be given to the company.

how can malaysia consumer can tolerance this!
y nobody sue Airasia when they intent to cheat consumer $$?cheat 1 person RM15 ,1 milion = $15mil ! we have to report to the court on business law, hope all the victim can do something, each of us report make many report as possible then the court more care on this issue.

Dont waste time on calling airasia helpline they hang it up and busy all the time or go to their counter, straight away go to court complain!

their booking change system have error cant change those flight properly cheat consumer to change and change again to the correct one. RM75 (Fake change to different time or date)+ RM75 (change expected correct flight), intent to cheat extra RM75 from consumer!

i’ve call airasia call centre using 0387754000 for call within malaysia today. the answering voice machine just keep telling me to wait until there are available customer service officer. i’ve waiting until more then 10 minutes and suddenly no more connection. it is because my phone prepaid credit have been deduct from $28.19 to only 26 cent left. they stole my $27.93 just using their phone line. to make it worst, i’ve not yet talk to their customer service and they already charged $27.93. wtf . so anybody who wish to call their call center…. just forget it.. it is better to buy a lot of food for your stomach than be cheated like me

cal centre agents receive instructions from the managers. managers wont come to speak, to customers – they will run away. you send fax , no response. even managers dont know the rules , how they manage company?

Most recently, my wife and I were stranded in Abu Dhabi when AirAsiaX announced they were canceling service to/from Abu Dhabi in January this year. They didn’t notify us (their stranded passengers) until Feb 10th. Neither did they offer any accommodation nor answer our emails asking for help. We had to get back to Malaysia on our own. They won’t reimburse our additional expenses either.

They said they would refund the Abu Dhabi/Kuala Lumpur portion of our trip, but it will take them 30-50 days to process the refund. Such an attitude!

Watch out for these guys. If you are considering using AirAsiaX, It might be a good idea to develop a plan B… just in case.

I just tried on three separate occasions to book flights online for 6 of us to thialand. After all those filling in the blanks, each time after I am about to confirm my booking I get error message that the page has EXPIRED. I wish Air Asia would Expire!
Then they have added a complaints email address. However in order to leave a complaint you have to have a booking no. How to get that when it wont book in the first place. Then finally they have a PREMIUM LINE where you can call direct and talk to a customer relations person. The charge is RM 1.95 a minute. So I was so desperate I called. Guess what? They put you on hold listening to elevator music and an announcer comes on and keeps telling you that you are being charged….
WHAT A LOAD OF CRAP AIR ASIA IS.

Booked a premium seat on Air Asia and also reserved seat 1C. I get to the airport and get told that the plane changed (less premium seats) and I have been downgraded to economy. So far
1. No communication from them on any refund of cash.
2. To ring the premium line costs RM2 per minute and it takes 2 minutes just to enter the queue.

Why the hell was I down graded when I booked over 2months in advance and had booked a seat that was still a premium seat on the plane?

If I dont hear from them soon I think the lawyer may be sending a letter to see if that can get their attention.

Wanting to purchase AirAsia Insure on the phone on 03 2171 9229 , been made to put on hold for the last 40 minutes and still counting. still nobody is answering for me to purchase the travel insurance, just a recorded voice saying saying over and over again ; ” Thank you for waiting all, our customer service executives are currently busy , please continue to hold as your call is important to us”..Yeah right and put me on hold that long? Dont they ever heard of waiting time turnaround ..this should be in their staff KPI..AirAsia truly sucks!
Sucks big time – dont purchase a travel insurance with them if you were to…its now almost an HOUR! being put on hold!

Firstly all the people who complain with awful grammer and comprehension should know, it is perfectly logical to be rejected from a flight if you 7 minutes left from it flying.. the plane is about to fucking take off you absolute retards so don’t go blaming airasia for that ! That is your own fault would you expect to even book? You have to be there 2 hours before anyways secodnly it is a low cost airline not everything can be the first class service you expect. Thats why your flying on the freaking airline itself. Thirdly , without airasia’s business strategy of a low -cost concept all you asian people wouldn’t even be flying or even so this blog would be back thrashing the over priced airlines. Fourthly, I would like to see any of you idiots run an airline I personally think, as I am studying business Tony Fernandes has been a real assent to the asian community and if anything has provided more beneficial tourism for other countries. If any of you read substantial things instead of being brainwashed by these sad negetive bloggers you would know Airasia has opened roots to Macau which people didn’t even fly to. MAS ?? Cheap?? I’m sorry but didn’t they only start doing that after Airasia came into the picture? You all really are very stupid read up on your knowladge one mistake that happens doesn’t mean the whole airline is incompitent because I am sure people send positive messeges just in balance with these criticisms , which honestly not many of them are even solid enough or logical ones. But oh well that’s your stupidity. I can tell you now all airlines are like this easy jet , ryan air and other low cost airlines. I have never heard of one which is perfect. So euther get over it and fly for the low-cost you got it for or waste even more of your money for a stupid flight which doesn’t last that much.

I am very sad, booking flight ticket a year ago, and today just get to know through a friend that “AirAsia suspense Penang-Macau flight “. As I saw on the AA website that my BOOKING CONFIRMED, i didn’t see the AIRASIA small notice at bottom! !

31th March have to fly but nobody from AA told us. No phone, no e-mail until today! ! use PREMIER LINE to phone AA and get charge RM150-160, get a stupid answer!! ask me refer website, link, notice, we can’t do anything!!! Do you still believe AA? ? Disappointed! !！

I have just booked 5 flights from Hong Kong to Phuket and didnt uncheck the airasia insure so was charged for insurance which non of us need as we all have annual policies. I e mailed straight away but no joy I cant get a refund and I am not flying till next Easter.

hi,
i am one of the customer felt cheated by air asia again and again, they are very smart in forfeiting your money.
now i realise that they really make money on others unfortune , there is their stratergy.
we have to build up more case against them, after we gather enough evidence, it is good that we proceed with the necessary action, we can pool evidence here.
dun get cheated again bro

for the person that defended them if she/he wants liers and cheats fair enough if she/he read the policy it says
check-in 45min before depature not 2 hours.
the insurance is just plain stupid . I have booked 8 flights with them and I am not going to pay 8 lots of insurances emails take 5 days then they just say contact air asia which hello I already have done it is just crazy.
I agree all money should be instantly refunded and the air line shut down.
if they cancel a flight then it is their fault same as if we don’t arrive on time then it is our fault.
anywhere I feel the Australian government should monitor these people more closely and close them down selling shonky services(flights)

I flied with Air Asia X Japan-Malaysia several times, so far there were no delay. The flight even always arrived earlier and I am thankful for that because I have more time to catch up with the night trains upon arrival. Maybe because Japan is a country with minute-level punctuality, so Air Asia couldn’t do business with them if they delay etc. Which route that always been delayed? I would like to be careful with those routes.

Travelling with Air Asia X to Japan is generally good if we don’t have to change anything in our itinerary after our booking is confirmed. If you think you need food then make sure you pre-book at least 24 hours before you fly. I always feel pity for hungry people on the plane, paying expensive money for just a cup of maggi/coffee. If you think you’ll have problem sleeping during a bus travel, then maybe it’s the same for Air Asia, so bring something comfortable. If we need to pay or repay because of changing flight dates, with credit/debit card, sometimes we get problem that the payment was not processed/declined. If the problem still occur, try to pay during Malaysia’s day time with Malaysia’s credit/debit card.. not sure because I heard some people said they’re luckier in midnight etc.

And.. don’t miss the right time and way to buy cheap ticket. The price will change quite fast especially 2days before fly and during promotion (of course.. but I didn’t know). I learnt a lot of lessons during booking&trip with Air Asia, from my own mistakes. But I really don’t know if I should buy the Air Asia Insure or not.. it sounds like as the article said, customers paying for their incompetency. Are all insurance like that?

Mavericks who blog

Other links

Taking some Tea With the Dead

Follow author Elizabeth Pisani's 6-month journey through the remoter and storied parts of Indonesia as she gathers material for her new book Taking Tea with The Dead.
She will be blogging about her progress in